An Act of Prudence
by Queen Of Gabb 488
Summary: A sacrifice is made in order to prepare the future for a battle which will alter the course of the Halliwell family and the world.
1. An Act of Prudence

"Prudence Halliwell, you are being given a choice," the angel spoke as Piper remained frozen in midair, the good doctor in the background and Shax positioned threateningly toward her little sister. Prue was in shock and awe at the same time as she took in her surroundings. She turned to the angel, unaware of what was just said.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. You're going to have to repeat that."

"Melinda Warren, the beginning of your line and family destiny, was more than just the first witch in your line. If truth be told," the angel spoke, "she was not the first."

"Then who was," the eldest sister asked as she began to deal with the situation before her.

"Your ancestor was born in the 17th century to Charlotte Warren, who emigrated from the British Isles; of mixed heritage containing English, Scottish and Welsh blood. One thousand years before Melinda's birth, a young but fair king ruled over a noble land. You may know it by the name—"

"Camelot," the witch interrupted; the cogs of her mind turning as she pulled up all of her knowledge on the subject.

"That is correct. There are many different tales surrounding the myth, but what you must know is that you descend from Arthur's line and the time will come when your children will once again rule over the great kingdom of Camelot."

"What does that have to do with this?"

Stepping forward, the angel reached her hand out to cup Prue's face. "Your future is not set in stone. As such the future is of your choosing. If you live, the events that follow will prove to bring about the next king Arthur as well as his greatest enemy, the reincarnation of the witch Morgana."

"And if I die?"

"Arthur will still be reincarnated, but the witch Morgana will not until many other generations will have passed. This will provide much needed time for your descendents to prepare Camelot and themselves for her arrival. Good magic will have more time to decide on the best course of action."

"Course of action for what?"

"To save Morgana's soul from eternal damnation, for even she will have a part to play in the outcome of your line and its well being, as well as the future of magic."

"But my sisters—"

"Have long and happy lives ahead of them," the angel spoke. "I have seen it."

Prue looked back at Piper and wished she could see Phoebe one more time. "Will I ever get to see them again?"

"In time," the angel spoke, just as another figure appeared with a list in hand.

"It's time, Prudence."

Prue turned to look at the Angel of Death, aware that the Angel of Destiny was no longer present. Before she was even able to process what her decision was, her heart had already made it. Prue could never let her sisters or their children suffer if there was something she could do about it. All she could do was trust that her sisters' destinies would not be altered and that they would indeed live long and happy lives. Even if she didn't.


	2. An Act of Deceit

A/N: Hey guys, here's another chapter. In this AU the sisters didn't vanquish Cole but instead he is alive and still in the underworld after Phoebe realized she had become Cole's queen -although not coronated- and couldn't bare the thought of what the Seer's tonic would do to her child. She left him and returned to the Manor.

* * *

Piper sat in her en suite, waiting for the required time to pass. She and Leo hadn't been trying to get pregnant but that didn't mean she wasn't excited for the possibility. It was the first good thing –other than finding Paige and Phoebe's nuptials—to happen for their family since Prue's death. Crying at the thought of her late sister, Piper heard the alarm on her cell phone go off and she reached to grab her test off the bathroom sink.

* * *

Talking to Paige and later to Phoebe had helped Piper feel better about the negative test result. Still, knowing that Phoebe and Cole were expecting was a little devastating—no matter how happy Piper was for her sister.

Sure, it would be exciting to have a niece; just not as exciting as having her own daughter to hold in her arms. And she had been so sure that she and Leo would be welcoming little Melinda. The timing would have been perfect in accordance with the future that she had traveled to with Prue and Phoebe, although clearly that future was no longer possible.

That thought alone –that there was no future in which Piper would never get to live out her days in the company of her older sister—was nearly enough to be her undoing. The second born didn't think she could take any more losses and unfortunately due to her line of work she knew there would be many more to come.

* * *

"Come on, Phoebe! We're going to be late," Piper yelled as she gathered her things and waited for her sister by the doors.

"Alright, alright," Phoebe said bounding down the stairs. "Thank you again for getting me in to see your doctor."

Cole had thought keeping Phoebe under the care of the Seer would be better for their baby, but as his secret became impossible to keep and his magic could no longer keep him safe from his wife's power of premonition, Phoebe knew she had to guard herself against any dark magic. Cole still remained in the Underworld, waiting for any opportunity to gain back his wife and unborn child.

Since her return to the Manor after a stint as the Queen of the Underworld, Piper and Paige had been weaving protective magic around the house and rituals to strengthen the influence of good magic on Phoebe and her child. It had been Gram's idea, who was constantly been summoned in the previous weeks to act as High Priestess and a consultant.

"It's nothing. We have to make sure your little one hasn't been harmed. Maybe we can find out the gender today," Piper rambled as they made their way to her car.

"Well, the Seer seemed pretty sure I was going to be having a boy."

"Yeah but in all these centuries we haven't seen one boy born into our line. I don't know why now should be any different."

"Maybe because he was conceived under the influence of dark magic and his parents were the reigning sovereigns of the Underworld," Phoebe offered sarcastically. "I just hope the Halliwell magic can undo whatever the Seer and her tonics did to the poor tyke. No matter what evil has taken over my husband, I can't believe he let that bitch feed me those tonics under the guise of her being a midwife."

"Well what do you expect, Pheebs? He's the Source of all evil, after all."

* * *

"A boy? Are you sure," Grams asked. "Maybe that quack made a mistake," she said waving a hand. "These doctors and all their technology and still you would be surprised at the mistakes they manage to make."

"Well," Paige said grabbing the sonogram off the alter table, "if you look right here you can see the little guy's equipment."

Grams squinted trying to make it out. "Well, it's hardly impressive let alone visible."

"Grams! That is my son you're talking about. Can you please be kind?"

"I'm just surprised and all. I mean three hundred years and not a single boy. I think we need to prepare for the worse possible scenarios. Start performing more rituals."

Piper stood behind Phoebe. "I think we should prepare for the possibility of more boys in the future, Grams. I mean we've only had girls but that was also while we were waiting for the Charmed prophecy to be fulfilled. Now that it has we don't know what to expect."

"Still," Grams said. "We'll have to make sure we are completely prepared for his arrival and for what it means. The child of a Charmed one will be extremely powerful and coveted, especially one who shares its heritage with the Source of all evil."

"How do we do that," Paige asked.

"By teaching you girls more about magic, for one thing," she told her granddaughters.

"I think we pretty much got it on that front," Phoebe rebutted.

"There's much more magic out there than just the defensive potions and spell casting you've learned," Grams replied. "Gypsy magic, other pagan magic from the British isles and other eastern European countries, hoodoo and voodoo and the old religion of the earliest centuries. There is a lot to teach you girls; to make up for not learning as children. And of course, Piper must be trained to take on the role of high priestess."

"Wow. High priestess? But that's what we have you for," Piper said.

"And that's fine for now, but eventually you will need the strength of a high priestess in the physical realm. Now that you are the eldest," Grams said sadly, "the role will fall to you." Grams stepped back into the circle of candles. "Blessed be."

"Blessed be," the sisters echoed.


	3. An Act of Benefaction

A/N: Will they, or won't they? Tell me what you think!

* * *

The Angels of Destiny very rarely interfered in mortal lives except in the case of very special individuals, and it seemed as if they were not done interceding on the Charmed ones or their lineage.

It was not an offer the Angel wanted to make; the chance for the newly constituted Charmed ones to give up their powers and lead a normal life. Sure, they had completed one destiny by vanquishing the Source of all Evil, but that of course would not be their only destiny.

Appearing in their home in a flicker of light, time suspended for everyone except these three women. Phoebe was quite obviously pregnant –though she was unaware of how much heartache her son would cause her or her family—and all three were resting comfortably on their couch having a much needed sister day. What a way to end their relaxation, the Angel thought.

"What's wrong with this dang remote," Paige said hitting the back where the batteries are located. "I just don't get it, why is the tv frozen?"

"Perhaps I can explain," the Angel interjected and the sisters jumped off the couch, backing away from the intruder.

Phoebe hissed at her older sister, "Blow him up, Piper!"

"I'm trying," she threw her hands out, "but it's not working."

"That would be because I am beyond your powers and pose no threat to you. I am the Angel of Destiny, and I have come to change yours if you so wish."

Phoebe soothed her baby's kicks by running her hand over her protruding bump and considered that. "How would it change?"

"Well," he considered, "your past innocents will remain safe and demons vanquished. No more will you have evil constantly barging in on your lives and you can all finally work toward your own personal destinies. Your children will of course inherit your powers, I must warn you so you can consider all of your options and the Book of Shadows will pass to them."

"Well the answer is easy of course. No," Paige spoke for all three.

"Hold on a second," Piper said. "We need to think about this."

"What's to think about," the youngest demanded. "Think of all of the good that we do!"

"And think of all the bad that has happened to us," Phoebe countered. "In case you forgot, I lost the love of my life to the Source of all Evil and am now going to raise my half witch and half demon child under constant guard against demonic threat of kidnapping."

"There's an easy solution to that," Paige replied. "We could bind his magic."

"And we could do that just as easily if we give up our powers," Piper said.

"Maybe I should give you some time to consider this," the Angel offered. "Twenty-four hours to decide your fate but be warned. Two sisters shall decide the fate of all three. Call me if you come to a decision earlier."

"Did he really just come in here and start this fight before waltzing off," Piper yelled.

"I still think you guys aren't thinking things through," Paige threw herself back onto the couch. "If having to vanquish Cole is the only thing you can think up to justify this—"

"Paige," Piper cut her off, "I can't get pregnant because of what we do. Those future descendants the Angel was talking about won't happen for me if we continue to fight."

"I'm sorry, but if it wasn't for magic I wouldn't have sisters right now. The same sisters who introduced me to all of the wonders of magic that exists all around us. How do we just give that up?"

"There's only one problem with what you said," Phoebe almost whispered. "If it wasn't for magic you would have _always_ had your sisters, mom might still be alive and we wouldn't have lost Prue. You know, I thought she was crazy all those years ago when the demon Abraxas almost stole our powers because she wanted to give them up. But now I think she's right; what good is having these powers if we keep losing the people who matter the most to us; sacrificing our own lives so others don't have to defend themselves."

"Well," Piper said, "it's not like most of our innocents have powers to fight with. We can't forget all of the good friends we've met along the way. They wouldn't be here today if we didn't do what we do."

"And how many of them showed up to Prue's funeral," the middle sister countered.

"That's not fair, Pheebs. A lot of them didn't hear about her death right away. You know that. Maggie did send flowers and a condolence card," Piper reminded her.

"I can't pretend to know what Prue would think about this," Paige said, "but she obviously changed her mind about giving up her powers. That must mean she thought what we fight for; against is important."

Phoebe hung her head as tears produced in her eyes. "As much as I denied it; tried to show everyone I was my own person, I always tried to be just like Prue. I didn't care about the grades or the accomplishments as much, but her pride and her attitude and her confidence were what I admired. How did I go from wanting to be just like her, to wanting to avoid becoming her?"

"What do you mean," Piper asked.

"Remember when we vanquished the water demon at the lake; how Prue was afraid to be like mom?"

"Because Prue thought her only destiny was to end up like her; no successful love life, responsible for a family on her own and the very real possibility—"

"—of dying young," Phoebe said with her sister. "At the time we didn't think it was anything she would have to worry about but clearly we were wrong," she cried. "And now I'm here, at almost the same exact point in life that she was and I'm so afraid that I'm going to follow in her footsteps and leave my child alone for someone else to raise."

"We won't let that happen," Paige rubbed her back.

"You know as well as I do that destiny always gets it way. This is my only chance to decide what my destiny will be," Phoebe said and made her way to her room.

"You don't think the same thing, do you," Paige turned to Piper.

"On good days it's easy to overlook everything we've been through but there have been almost as many bad days, Paige. Sometimes it seems like our only destiny is to die. I need time to think about it. The angel gave us twenty-four hours and I'm going to use them," Piper passed her and walked to the stairs, heading to her room.


	4. An Act of Resolve

Phoebe sighed, rubbing her abdomen to calm her son's activity. The past six months had not been kind and she had learned during that time that the path to heaven ran through miles of clouded hell. This was not the life she should be leading. Her marriage was not supposed to end with her being widowed-albeit by her own hands- only months after getting married. Cole was not supposed to be taken over by the Source of all Evil and her child was going to have two loving parents, not a single mother. Phoebe's son was not supposed to be burdened by a demonic heritage. What the Angel offered was so tempting. A chance to be normal; to avoid anymore heartache, yet somehow the third born Halliwell knew in her heart that there would be more losses for her family along the way. Would there be more good days to make it worth it?

Staring out her window, Phoebe thought about her own childhood. Her powers had been bound and if truth be told she was grateful for that. Maybe she would have been more mindful of her future if she knew what was to come, but knowing herself as only she did, the middle sister knew she would have only used her powers to find more trouble. There had always been a chip on her shoulder; that yearning for a mother that died before she even had any memories of her and a father who had walked out on them and hadn't returned for twenty years. She could give her son a normal childhood and the chance of being raised by a mother who wasn't in constant danger. In her heart she had already cast her vote.

* * *

Paige hadn't known where to go. Piper had gone to the one place in the house that had always been her territory; the kitchen. Phoebe was upstairs, either in her room or nursery; Paige hadn't even tried to sense her to be sure. All Paige knew was that she hadn't been raised here. Everything she learned about the inner workings of the house had come from her sisters and as such there was no special hideaway the youngest could retreat ended up at the one place she had always subconsciously avoided; the intersection where her parents car had collided with another vehicle, leaving her an orphan for the second time in her life. Sitting on a nearby bench, a vision of that day played out in her head as if it were happening right in front of her.

There was a reason for magic and Paige wouldn't deny that. It would be easy to agree with Phoebe. To say that if magic didn't exist that they would have all grown up together; Paige would have known Prue and been raised by her biological parents. How could Paige buy into that without wishing away her adoptive parents? It might be too late to take back the horrible things she had said and done to them, but she would never erase their presence from her life if only in daydreams.

* * *

Walking through the doors, Paige found her sisters in the conservatory. Awkward silence followed until Paige threw herself down in a chair and dropped her purse on the floor. "I don't suppose either one of you is uncertain of what your choice is," she said.

"I know what I want," Phoebe said. "How about you? Any second thoughts?"

Paige shook her head and turned to Piper. "What do you think?"

"I think, if we all know what it is we have decided, that we should call the Angel back here and let him know. I don't suppose it's the kind of issue that can be left open ended."

"How do we call him," Phoebe asked.

"Don't worry," a voice spooked the sisters as it caught them off guard. The Angel stepped closer and took a few seconds to look from one sister to the next. "It seems you are decided; just remember that the majority rules," he cautioned.

"I vote we wipe the slate clean," Phoebe said. "I could use a fresh start."

"Well I'm not ready to give up my magic," Paige said. "I vote we keep it."

"And what about you, Piper?"

Piper looked at her sisters. "I understand why you each feel the way you do. Magic has done some pretty amazing things for us, but it's also taken so much," she said pressing a hand to her barren womb. "But I wouldn't have Leo if it weren't for magic and as much as you hurt right now Phoebe, I don't think you could ever regret Cole. So I vote we keep our powers. I hope you can forgive me for that later."

Looking away, Phoebe avoided staring into her sister's pleading eyes and the Angel smiled. "Very well. You three shall remain Charmed. I must say, I'm very pleased. This will make your future and your children's destinies much easier to handle. You never needed to worry about the magnitude of their powers but rather how you all will shape their potential to lead and be of service. Especially you, Piper," he said before disappearing.

"Oh, my God," Phoebe said and Paige registered what he said.

"Don't you get it Piper? You're pregnant," Paige said.

"What? I'm pregnant?"

"You're pregnant," Paige squealed and rushed to her sister's side.

"And my water just broke," Phoebe expanded on her previous statement.


	5. An Act of Love

Time was a funny thing. It had taken months for Cole's possession to come to light and only moments for their lives to fall apart. There marriage had barely consisted of any unadulterated moments; she knew he tried to fight the possession. That was the one thing she could always count on keeping them together before they had been thrown so far over that line; what had brought them together in the first place, a desire to be more than the darkness that had settled into their souls.

"I guess the difference is that I had more good," she thought out loud. "My darkness couldn't kill my light; the light sparked in Cole couldn't quench his darkness."

Phoebe fell silent, standing alone not for the first or last time either. This was not how she imagined her life. She didn't know how she had come so far off course. Her baby kicked all of a sudden and her hands instantaneously moved to greet her son. Although her water had broken seven hours ago and her contractions were only five minutes apart, she had yet to fully dilate and her doctor had advised her to get up and walk around.

"How are you doing," Piper asked as she came back in with ice chips. Things were still tense between the sisters but Phoebe still wanted them here with her.

"I just want him to come already," the middle sister answered.

"Have you decided on a name yet?"

"I'm still torn between Coleridge and Benjamin. Where's Paige?"

"She had to meet a client whose court date was moved up. It shouldn't take long, she was just bringing documentation from their folder."

Phoebe nodded and moved back to bed, allowing Piper to guide her before leaning back and pulling the blankets over her. "I know we never really talked about this, but I want you to be the Godmother."

"Oh, Phoebe. I'd love to," Piper said. "Are you sure you don't want to ask Paige, though?"

"You know I love her, but we're always going to have our issues about Cole between us. I just think it's better for me and this baby and the good memories of Cole, if you were the baby's godmother."

"You know that even with her feelings about Cole that Paige will love this baby, though. Don't you?"

Sighing, Phoebe braced as she breathed through a contraction. Letting it pass, she released her breath and Piper's hand which she had been crushing. "I don't doubt that for a minute, but I need to make sure that the person I choose to care for my son in my absence can give my son what he needs. You were there for all of it. You saw the good and the bad and you know how much Cole fought. What happened at the end wasn't his fault. I'm just glad we could give him some peace."

Piper nodded, sad at having lost another friend and knowing what that loss had meant for her sister. She was also sad knowing that there was nothing more they could for Cole than to make sure his soul was resting in peace. There should have been another way. He should have had more time with Phoebe and their son.

They stayed like that for hours; Phoebe clutching her sister's hand as she breathed through the pain of contractions while Piper coached her sister through the childbirth. Paige walked in with a gift basket, filled with baby clothes and shoes, diapers and lotions.

"Do you know how much longer you have," she asked and set the basket on a side table.

"The doctor should be coming in to check her soon," Piper responded. "Last time he checked she was eight and a half centimeters and completely effaced. We should be seeing a baby in the next hour or so."

Sitting, Paige reached into her bag and pulled out yarn and knitting needles. "More than enough time to make a little hat for Baby Halliwell," and she knit and they waited.

* * *

"One more push, Pheebs! You can do it," Piper couched while Paige held one of Phoebe's legs up. Sweat was pooling from her forehead.

"This sucks! Why is this so hard," she cried as she bared down with all her might. The pain was unimaginable.

"You're doing well," her doctor told her. "One more push should do it. I need you to bare down and count to ten."

"One, two, three," Piper counted as Phoebe pushed, her cheeks turning red from the effort, "eight, nine,..."

"It's a boy," the doctor showed the baby off to his mother and aunts before handing him off to a nurse.

After it was all done and over with, Phoebe laid in bed holding her newborn son and staring contently into his blue eyes. "I wonder if they'll stay blue," she said.

"They could," Piper said and swept a hand over his dark head of hair. "He has his daddy's eyes."

Paige remained silent, trying not to ruin her nephew's birthday with a snarky comment. "What's his name going to be? Are we looking at a Coleridge or Benjamin?"

"Say hello to Coleman Turner Halliwell," Phoebe answered.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful baby boy," Piper said and placed a hand on her own belly. "I can't wait for him to meet his cousin."

"I still don't know how you could be three months pregnant and not know it," Paige said.

"The pregnancy test came back negative. I just thought I was under a lot of stress but it's nice to know that little Melinda is on her way."

Phoebe tore her gaze away from her son. "Melinda? You've already picked out a name, that's great!"

"Prudence Melinda, actually. If you don't mind," Piper asked.

"I think Prue would love that," Phoebe said and returned her attention back to her son. "I wish she were here right now."

"So do I," Piper said.

* * *

Prue wanted to reach out to her sisters so badly. To hold Phoebe as the hurt tried to tear her soul in half and assure Piper that she would have the chance to hold a child of her own one day. To get to know Paige in a way she would never be allowed to. She couldn't reach out to them though and it would be a long time, if ever, before she could.

Piper and Paige had left to get something to eat while Phoebe slept, recuperating from childbirth. Prue stood in the nursery, looking down at her first nephew. The Angels had told her that her sisters would live long and happy lives but they had failed to mention the existence of another sister, though Prue would never pass up the chance to protect her. But they had promised and here was a little bundle that was evidence that they had lied. Phoebe was not happy. Oh, she loved her son and would do everything in her power to give him the best life possible, but she was not happy.

Looking at the sleeping child, Prue leaned in and tried to press a kiss on his forehead. "Blessed Be."

* * *

The Angels convened, pleased with the way destiny was unfolding. Prudence's sacrifice would not be in vain and here was proof that the greatest Kingdom in history was well on it's way of rising up yet again. They just hoped it would not be doomed to the same mistakes as before.


	6. An Act of Intuition

Pure white mist obscured the hooded assembly of the Council who reconvened yet again to attest that the Charmed Ones were following the same path to a much needed destination.

Some had never thought the day would come when they would have hope to see the Kingdom of Camelot rise once again, while others were worried about what would happen if history were to repeat itself. Arthur had been a great King; a soul that was rarely reincarnated and carried great value. Though his accomplishments could outshine most others, so could the tragedies and betrayals that he suffered. Camelot had fallen once, and they were worried it would happen again.

Among the council were a select few; Elders, Angels of Destiny and Cupids, the Cleaners, and making a rare appearance were the Finders. Only the most trusted of each group were charged with watching over the Charmed ones and their lineage in hopes of protecting them from any close by who would use their position to do them harm.

* * *

Phoebe rocked her son, tired and overwhelmed by parenthood. Her sisters provided some much needed help, either babysitting him when she needed to go to work or picking up his feedings, but still the absence of his father was felt every second of every day.

The fears; the anxiety that came with raising a child who would not only grow into his wiccan powers but possibly demonic ones as well was a constant visitor in her mind. Part of her wanted to argue that since Cole had been stripped of his demon half and DNA that her son could not have inherited any of the Source's powers. The other part of her knew that the Source's possession of her soul mate had been so strong that he had been able to use Cole's body to control those powers so there was a very real possibility that Coleman could inherit them since she had become pregnant during that time.

Even to this day, they were doing everything possible to make sure that her son would be good. Tomorrow would be his Wiccaning and the entire Halliwell-Warren line would be there to grant him grace and swear allegiance to protect him from the temptation of evil. All she could do was hope that their family love and magic was enough to protect Cole. He was all she had left.

* * *

Piper had said she was just going out food shopping, and hoped that her ability to cover her tracks were better than Phoebe's; her sister never could tell a lie—convincingly. Truth was, her husband and sisters had been busy trying to convince her that going to a Doctor was too risky. Still, she knew not going to a doctor could be worse for her baby and if push came to shove they could use a little magic to smooth things over.

Sitting in the waiting room, Piper thumbed through a home and garden magazine as she waited patiently for her name to be called. Looking around, she saw all of the other pregnant women and was instantly jealous; they had their husbands or partners there, supportively holding their hands and giddy with excitement. Rubbing a hand over her belly, she wished her sisters and husband could have managed to do the same for her but it became increasingly clear as her pregnancy advanced that Piper was fading into the background. They all had ideas over how she should do things but none of them seemed to think that her opinion—you know, as the mother—seemed to matter.

"Piper Halliwell," a nurse called and escorted her to an examining room. "How are you today?"

"Good. The nausea is finally passed and I'm not as tired as I was during the first semester."

"Now, you're about twenty-two weeks along, correct," the nurse asked.

"Yes."

"And have you seen us before today?"

"No," Piper admitted. "My family is really gung ho about having a home birth and I've been seeing a midwife. Recently I've been thinking it would be a good idea to be seen by a doctor."

Nodding, the nurse took Piper's height and weight as well as blood pressure and jotted some notes in her file and left it on the desk. "Well, we're glad to be seeing you. Dr. Rowland will be in to see you soon and to do a sonogram. You can take a seat over here. You won't need to undress for the sonogram or anything. She'll be right with you."

Piper hoisted herself on the exam table and waited for her doctor, glad to be seeing a woman. She had changed doctors after Phoebe's unborn child had nearly killed her previous one.

Walking in, the doctor was a young woman in her mid twenties with wavy dark hair and hazel eyes. "You must be Piper. I'm going to start with a sonogram to check on the development of the fetus. I just need you to roll up your shirt and we'll get started." Taking out a bottle, she squeezed gel on Piper's belly and took out the sonogram wand. "Now, the nurse tells me this is your first sonogram. Is there any particular reason why you haven't seen a doctor before now?"

Piper gave a small smile. "My family has been pushing me to see a midwife. They're all very new age."

"Most midwifes work alongside doctors," Dr. Rowland said. "At the very least they recommend sonograms during the course of treatment. Have you had any blood work done or other tests done to make sure that the baby is on track?"

"No," she said worried. "Could something be wrong with my baby?"

"We always try to safeguard a pregnancy against any potentially bad news," the Doctor said. "Looking at your sonogram I would say everything is alright with your baby. Would you like to know the sex?"

"Um, sure."

"You're having a bouncing baby boy," she said and printed up some pictures before turning the machine off. "Now we have to talk about you."

"What do you mean," Piper asked.

"During your exam with the nurse it was observed that you're blood pressure was above the normal range. Now, this puts you at risk for some different factors. The one I'm worried about is called Toxemia or you might have heard it called pre-eclampsia. I'm going to recommend a low sodium diet and reduced activity."

"What does reduced activity mean?"

"Well, you can still get up and go out but you need to avoid any stressful or anxiety causing activities to maintain a normal blood pressure. Also, you're going to need to be monitored so we'll continue to make bi-weekly appointments to make sure nothing changes. Now, if you don't have a blood pressure cuff at home then I'm going to recommend you buy one. They're easy enough to find and most drug stores sell them in the pharmacy aisle. You can check it in the mornings and before you go to bed and if you notice it staying elevated I want you to call me."

"Okay. What do I need to know to watch out for Toxemia?"

"There are warning signs that you will want to look out for; swollen feet and ankles, blurry vision or dizziness, as well as vomiting. If you start experiencing any of these you need to come in to see me, okay?"

"Alright," Piper agreed and allowed the Doctor to escort her to the reception desk to make another appointment.

* * *

"Piper, where have you been," Paige asked and noticed her sister didn't have any groceries with her. "What happened to going food shopping?"

"I lied," she said out right. "I went to go see a doctor."

"As in an obstetrician? What were you_ thinking_; you could have gotten us exposed!"

"Last time I checked this wasn't your pregnancy," Piper said. "If I want to go to a doctor that's my choice."

"What did Leo say about all this," the youngest said; her panties still in a bunch.

"He didn't say anything because he doesn't know."

"And what—"

"Considering this is none of your business," Piper said, "I really don't feel like justifying my actions to you," and took her bags to her room, passing Phoebe on her way up.

"What's up with all of the yelling," Phoebe asked.

"_Your_ sister went to see and OB/GYN," Paige responded and the two ran up the stairs to catch up to their older sister. When they caught up to her Piper was emptying the nursery of the bed sheets and decorations they had hung on the wall.

"Oh, my god. Is something wrong with the baby," Phoebe asked.

"As a matter of fact there is which I wouldn't have known if I didn't go to a doctor."

"There's nothing wrong with using Eva," Paige said. "You're probably stressed for no reason. There's no reason for us to see a medical doctor."

Piper turned and stared down her sister. "That's right. There's no reason for _us_ to see a doctor because last time I checked you weren't pregnant or apart of this parenting team. You guys might think you've been doing me some big favor by telling me how to do things but at the end of the day my pregnancy is not about _you_. I have to make the decisions and you need to _butt out_," she yelled.

"Piper—"

"Don't 'Piper' me. This is the end of the discussion so whether you mind or not you need to get out of my room," she said ushering her sisters out and slamming the door in their faces.

* * *

Leo climbed the stairs after almost tearing his ears off at his sisters-in law rage induced rant. Entering the master bedroom, he saw Piper napping and looked around the room only to notice that Phoebe and Paige were right about the nursery being torn apart.

Sitting beside his wife, he rubbed a hand up and down her arm until she woke up. "What's going on Piper? I heard you went to go see a mortal doctor today. Is everything okay?"

Sitting up, Piper sighed. "No, Leo, everything is not alright. Everyone in this house seems to think that they make all of the choices about this pregnancy but I'm the only one who is pregnant with this child. I'm tired of being ignored and treated as if I'm just an incubator. We may be the Charmed ones but we are not co-parenting this baby with my sisters."

"Why haven't you mentioned feeling like this?"

"I've tried, Leo. No one has been bothering to listen, not even you."

"We're just worried about the baby. She's half whitelighter and we don't know what that means for her delivery. No one wants magic to be exposed."

"Well if that quack of a midwife knew anything she would have been able to tell us that this very special little girl we were preparing for is really a boy," Piper said.

"A boy? I'm going to have a son," Leo smirked.

"A bouncing baby boy who would have been a very big surprise in four months had I not went to see a real doctor. A doctor, by the way, who knows enough to realize that my blood pressure is high and puts me at risk for pre-eclampsia."

"I'm surprised Eva didn't catch that during your checkups," Leo said. "And blood pressure is a state of mind; I can't heal you if that's the case."

"And that's why I am now on a low sodium diet and need to be in a stress free environment."

Leo grimaced. "But how am I going to keep your sisters away from you for four months?"

Piper laughed and held his hand. "I need you to support me, Leo. I feel bad because I've already gone at Paige twice today but it needs to be you and me making these decisions."

"What are we going to if the baby is born in swaddling orbs?"

"We can cast an anti-orbing spell in the labor room for all I care. I can't risk my life or this baby's life because of exposure. Unless one of the Elders wants to come down and deliver this baby so we can be sure there's heavy duty healing power, I need to have this baby in a hospital."

Nodding, Leo pulled her in for a hug. "I support you, and I'll even take care of your sisters, but what are we going to do with all of this baby stuff we're not going to use?"

"I'll exchange it all tomorrow," Piper said. "Now that we know we're having a boy we need to come up with a better name than Prudence Melinda."


	7. An Act of Corruption

A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews! I've taken them into account and given them my own twist. I'm trying to get back on track with this chapter, and lead it back to why Prue made the sacrifice she made.

* * *

"What are you doing," Paige asked, watching Phoebe running from one spot to the next like a chicken without a head.

"I'm looking for Cole's birth certificate," she said as she rummaged. "Bay Mirror has been really good about giving me my maternity leave and allowing me to work from home as long as I get my column in on time, but Elise is becoming more eager to publicize 'Ask Phoebe' in order to get the newspaper's circulation up."

"What does that have to do with my nephew's birth certificate," Paige wandered over to the pack and play, and picked him up, bouncing him from side to side. At nearly five months old he was already starting to eat solid foods and sitting up. Paige couldn't wait to see him with his cousin, who was due in little more than two months.

"Elise has not only managed to get my column nationally syndicated but wants to strike while the iron is hot and get international syndication as well. She wants me to go on a two month tour of Europe to do readings and small advice sessions. I can't leave Cole here for two months."

"You know, you have a sister and a brother-in law who have this nifty ability to go anywhere they want in nearly the blink of an eye. And what's even better is that they can take passengers with them," Paige said mockingly. "We could always just orb you to your readings and then bring you home, that way little Cole won't have to be uprooted."

Phoebe looked away for a moment before turning back to a stack of papers in search of the document. "I kind of want to go. It might be good for me and Cole," she said, "and it's not like the tour is happening right now. Elise understands that I don't want to leave my four month old here or miss Piper's delivery. Besides, since you guys have a family cosmic taxi," Phoebe referred to Paige's orbing ability, "it's not like you couldn't pop up for a visit every now and then."

"You're kidding me, right? How are you going to survive a two month tour alone with a baby without any help, especially since said baby is growing into his powers and could potentially expose us if not properly nurtured and cared for?"

"You know what, Paige? You're right." Paige smirked and put her nephew back down for a nap, glad to have gotten her way. "I'm going to need a nanny," Phoebe said and picked her son up before leaving in search of Piper and Leo.

"That's not what I meant," she called after her sister before jogging to catch up to her.

* * *

"What do you mean you 'think she should go'?"

"I think Phoebe should do it," Piper said. "I mean, after this little guy's birth," she rubbed her belly and laughed. "I can't believe how powerful our boys already are," she told Phoebe and smiled at her Godson. "You are going to be some very strong men when you grow up."

"Leo, can you please talk some sense into Phoebe and Piper," Paige asked.

"Leave my husband out of this. This is a sister issue not a charmed issue. I think going will be good for Phoebe. She's been stuck in this house for more than a year, adjusting to her new career and being a mother. Going, garnering some of her independence –which I think you feel that you've lost," she looked at the middle sister before turning to the youngest, "—might do her some good.

"Oh, and Cole's birth certificate is in the hutch where we keep all of our legal documents," Piper told Phoebe. "We put it there for safe keeping."

"Thanks, I'll go get it," Phoebe said, glad to know that someone knew how she felt. Lately she had felt like she was drowning in the Manor and going on this tour just might revive her.

"Ah!" Leo and Paige ran to find Phoebe while Piper did her best to waddle at full speed.

"Where's the demon," Piper asked and entered the kitchen to find it demonless, Phoebe and Paige stood looking at a paper in Phoebe's hand with their mouths wide open. "Don't you know better than to scream in this house if there's no demon?"

Phoebe held out her hand to her sister and Piper grabbed it to see what the fuss was about. "What the hell is this?"

"It's Cole's birth certificate," Paige said when Phoebe remained silent.

"But it says—"

"—Prescott Alan Halliwell," Phoebe whispered before she ran for the stairs. "I'm going to _kill_ Grams," she yelled as everyone tried to keep up with her.

* * *

"What do you mean, you didn't do it," Phoebe cried. "_I_ sure as hell didn't do this. I mean, I know you feel like you have the right to tell us how to live our lives but this is _my son_! Who else could have done this if not you," she screamed at her Grandmother.

"Phoebe Lynne Halliwell," Grams sternly spoke, "I have not done anything to legally christen this child Prescott Alan Halliwell although I much prefer it to Coleman," she huffed.

"But who else could have done this Grams," Piper stepped forward. "It's all very 'Bewitched'," she referred to the black and white sitcom. "You have to admit that if anyone was going to 'Endora' this, it would be you."

"Never the less, it was not. I don't know why you're so upset anyway. It's much obviously a better name; paying tribute to your own traditions than to his demonic heritage."

"Grams," Paige blustered, "you're not helping your case here. How do we find out what happened?"

"We're witches, dear. Just cast a spell. Anything will do; maybe a simple vision spell or temporary power aid to increase Phoebe's ability so she can get a premonition off of the document."

"It would only be temporary and the spell would reverse almost immediately," Leo offered.

"Just don't use the multiplication spell," Piper said. "I don't want to have to deal with three Phoebe's."

Paige stared blankly back and forth between her sisters. "We'll tell you later," Piper offered. She couldn't believe how many years ago it had been since Prue had used that spell.

After scribbling down words on a notepad, Phoebe cast her spell.

I call upon the Goddess Mother

to grant me peace upon this hour.

My son's fate I seek to know,

a desire answered with elevated power.

"That's what you came up with," Paige said and handed her sister the birth certificate.

"It's all I had," Phoebe said and grabbed the paper, immediately drawn into a vision.

"_How could you do this," a teenaged boy with short brown hair and jade green eyes asked. "You're his cousin, his best friend. Wyatt is the true wielder of Excalibur!"_

"_Oh, Christopher; my dear beloved cousin. You failed to take into account that I am the strongest of our generation and as the product of a Charmed one and the Source of all Evil, I alone have the true power to control Excalibur and reign over the new Camelot. You can either join me, or I can put you in your place. Where will you stand? By my side, or by your brother's?"_

"_I will stop you, Prescott. I will find a way to save you," Chris said, managing to rise to his feet, standing above his brother's lifeless body. _

"_I'm hurt that you think I need saving. There is no good or evil, Christopher. Only power. Unfortunately, I can't risk you making a mess of this for me, so—" Prescott threw out a hand and flung fire at his cousin, failing to notice a shield erecting around him, spreading the flames around in a dome shape. _

_Chris fell to the ground, where Wyatt reached out to him. He had thought his brother dead but his heart must have kept beating, if only weakly. "Go," Wyatt ordered him. "Find the others; protect them." _

_Tears fell down his cheeks. "I will. Wyatt, I will find a way to save you." _

"_Go," the King ordered before all breath escaped his body and Chris reached over, closing his eyes and orbed as the shield fell. _

"Phoebe," Paige yelled as her sister struggled to come out from her vision. "What did you see?"

"I saw Prescott's future," Phoebe said and began to sob. "I'm so sorry," she cried and collapsed into her sister's arms.


	8. An Act of Perception

A/N: short and sweet. wanted to give you guys a little something while I try and figure out exactly where this is going.

* * *

"Prudence, what are you doing," Grams asked.

Prue turned to look at the older woman. "I'm trying to find out if I made the right choice," she answered. "The Angel told me that if I sacrificed myself it would give our family time to figure out how to save Morgana's soul and that my sisters would be happy. All I've seen is Phoebe's heart breaking and her loss of independence, Piper has lost her own right to make decisions for her life and Paige has seemingly given up her youthful freedom to play protector for the entire family. How is that happiness?"

"Oh, Prudence," Patty brushed her hand over her eldest daughter's hair while she stood behind her, allowing Prue to lean back into her mother's embrace. "I know the choice you made was unfair to ask of you. You never have been capable of relinquishing your protective feelings towards them, but your sisters are going through normal, _mortal_ phases of their lives right now. Phoebe will find herself again, Piper will learn to stand up for herself again, and Paige will eventually stop bearing the weight of their destiny on her shoulders. They just need time, and it's time they have because of _you_."

"I just wish that I could warn them," Prue said wistfully, "that I could get a message to them."

"_I call upon the Goddess Mother_

_to grant me peace upon this hour._

_My son's fate I seek to know,_

_a desire answered with elevated power," _ they heard the spell cast and Grams turned to her granddaughter.

"It looks like you're about to get your chance," and Penelope joined her daughter and granddaughter. "Let's send your sisters a message."

* * *

"Our son's name is Wyatt," Leo basically crooned. His chest filled with pride at that thought.

Phoebe sat on Aunt Pearl's settee, trying to control her sobbing as she held her head in her hands. Sniffling, she looked up at her sister and brother-in law, "And a son named Chris, apparently. Prescott called the man he was attacking Wyatt's brother."

"So I guess we're not worrying about the name change on the birth certificate or how it happened anymore," Paige asked.

"Destiny always gets its way," the middle sister answered. "Apparently my son was meant to be Prescott and not Coleman, and Piper's son is meant to wield Excalibur."

"Excalibur," Piper basically burst. "My son is the next King Arthur?"

"Not if Phoebe's son has his way," Paige said and yelped when Phoebe reached out and hit her. "I'm just saying, is all."

"There has to be a way to prevent this," Phoebe muttered, "otherwise I wouldn't have had the premonition, right?"

"Well, the good news is we have a couple of decades to make sure we get things right," Leo said. "I'm going to go to the Elders and see what we need to do to prepare for Wyatt's birth."

* * *

"What do we do now," Prue asked, still on edge. Normally she was the game maker; she called the plays and kept five steps ahead of the other team but this was different. She wasn't in the middle of it anymore and sitting on the sidelines was messing with the way she perceived things.

"You've already done what you can for now," Patty assured her eldest daughter. "Now we watch and hope we can intervene in any small way."


End file.
